Bovine Blog: Boise State Looms As Mountain West Gauntlet Continues For No. 18 Utah State
Jan 25, 2024, 9:18 AM | Updated: 9:20 am
LOGAN, UT - JANUARY 20 : Darius Brown II #10 of the Utah State Aggies drives to the basket against Eduardo Andre #35 of the Fresno State Bulldogs during the first half of their game at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum the on January 20, 2024 in Logan, Utah.
LOGAN, Utah – The two remaining one-loss teams in the Mountain West will face off this weekend when Boise State hosts No. 18 Utah State at ExtraMile Arena.
USU (17-2, 5-1) will be in the Gem State on Saturday, January 27, to face the always-challenging Broncos (14-5, 5-1).
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The Aggies check in at No. 18/20 in this week's polls 🐮🏀#AtThePEAK | #MWMBB | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/qz1wAtqaSN
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) January 22, 2024
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The Aggies and Broncos are the top two teams in the MW with 5-1 records.
Utah State is 36-21 all-time against the Broncos in a series that began in 1974. USU won by 13 in last year’s regular-season finale, ending a five-game losing streak to Boise State. The Aggies followed that win by upsetting BSU in the Mountain West Tournament semifinals with a 72-62 win.
Another Road Test In Boise
Leon Rice, the winningest coach in program history, is in his 14th season leading the Boise State program. Rice is the only coach the Broncos have had as a member of the Mountain West conference.
With home wins over then-No. 18 Colorado State and previously ranked San Diego State, Boise State presents an excellent challenge for the 18th-ranked Aggies. The Broncos are 9-1 at home this season.
RELATED: Cougars & Aggies Drop In Latest AP Top 25, Utes Receive Votes
🏀 Highlights from @USUbasketball's 83-62 win against Fresno State pic.twitter.com/f9yFn669Ur
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) January 20, 2024
Boise State boasts the league’s top-scoring defense (65.2 ppg allowed), while Utah State is the second-best scoring team (82.2 ppg) in the Mountain West. The Broncos are at or near the top of every major team defensive stat except for blocks, where they are dead last in the MW at 2.26 blocks per game.
Junior forward Tyson Degenhart is the 10th-leading scorer in the conference, checking in at 15.1 points a night. The 6’8 Degenhart also grabs 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Chibuzo Agbo (14.7 ppg), O’Mar Stanley(12.8 ppg), and Max Rice (11.3 ppg) are the Broncos other double-digit scorers.
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The Aggies face Boise State on Saturday, January 27, at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. (MT). Boise State received nine votes in the latest AP Top 25.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s coverage of the Bees, Big League Utah, and Aggie athletics here.
